“If there’s an element of myopia to Feldman’s otherwise searingly insightful play, it’s the cultural specificity of someone with the luxury of blowing in the breeze, trying out this or that, with a safety net to catch them when they fall.”
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“ ‘The Best We Could’ makes us hyperaware of its theatricality, but the premise isn't fantastical. It's painfully plausible. It takes emotions and experiences we as humans champion — connection, family, integrity — and flips them on their head.”
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"This concluding vignette is indeed the "tragedy" portion of the playwright's self-proclaimed "family tragedy," but being a road trip play, any theoretical spoilers are just Feldman emphasizing journey over destination. "
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“For a play to qualify as a tragedy, the people in it must, at a minimum, be interesting. That's the problem, with The Best We Could, a road trip drama that steers uncertainly toward a big revelation that destroys a family of three. The trouble is that playwright Emily Feldman is more adept at theatrical devices than in delineating characters whose dubious choices inflict pain on their loved ones. Who are these people? And why should one care about them?”
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“On its own terms it's an affecting little drama with a great central role, fortunately played here by a pretty great actor.”
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“The ubiquitous figure registers more as a cutely pretentious presence, tempting a slightly annoyed reviewer to say that with ‘The Best We Could,’ the playwright could have done better.”
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Hands down Emily Feldman’s "The Best We Could (a family tragedy)," at the Manhattan Theatre Club, wins the most ironic title of the year. Not one character does the best he or she could in this heart-twisting five-actor drama. The play details the long, slow descent of a family, cushioned only by an occasional jest and buoyed by the intensely moving acting by the ensemble with Frank Wood standing out in a superb demonstration of artistry.
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"'The Best we Could' shines with profound complexity, moment and powerful performances by an exceptional ensemble, well shepherded by Daniel Aukin. Kudos to the creative team who brought Aukin’s vision to life."
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